Carolyn Katherine Mautner

1946 – 2025

Carolyn Katherine Mautner passed away peacefully on October 9, 2025, at the age of 79, at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, surrounded by her loving family. She was born in January 1946 in Rockville Centre, New York, to Dave and Dorothea Steele.

Carolyn spent her early years in the small town of Cairo, nestled in New York’s Catskill Mountains. At 16, she moved with her family to Montclair, California, where she graduated from Montclair High School in 1964. She continued her education at Chaffey Community College in Rancho Cucamonga, where she met her future husband, Don Mautner. Carolyn’s intelligence and radiant presence quickly caught Don’s attention—especially when her name was consistently announced for earning the highest test scores. Their college days were filled with simple joys: shared lunches, sun tea from the back of a station wagon, and the beginning of a lifelong partnership.

A trailblazer in her time, Carolyn pursued engineering—a field rarely entered by women back then—and earned her Bachelor of Science degree from UCLA’s College of Engineering in 1968. She and Don married in January 1969 and spent the next 30 years traveling the world with the U.S. Navy, living in Japan, Guam, and across the United States, including: Antioch, CA; Washington, DC; Houston, TX; Bay St. Louis, MS; and, of course, Monterey, CA.

Carolyn and Don welcomed their daughter Eileen in 1974 while stationed on Guam, and their beloved son Timothy two years later in Japan. Carolyn considered her children her greatest accomplishments, watching them grow into principled adults with families of their own. She balanced motherhood and career with grace, working in the engineering field wherever Don’s assignments took them. She was a collector of angels, a sender of securely taped packages, a master navigator before GPS, and a maker of cherished Christmas photo ornaments for her grandchildren.

In 1999, Don retired as a Navy Captain, and the couple settled in their favorite place—Monterey, California. Carolyn joined the City of Monterey’s Plans and Public Works Department in 1997 as an Engineering Technician and retired in 2015 after 18 years of dedicated service. She formed lifelong friendships with her coworkers and treasured those bonds throughout her retirement.

Carolyn and Don shared 56 years of marriage, filled with love, laughter, and countless memories. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother David. She is survived by her devoted husband Don; daughter Eileen (Doug) Capson of Idaho; son Ty (Tamara) Mautner of Oregon; and seven grandchildren who lit up her life: Elise (Steven) Cox, Mariah Capson, Cole (Aaralyn) Capson, Glade Capson, Erin Capson, Tia Mautner, and Tanner Mautner.

Carolyn will be missed beyond measure and remembered always for her sweet smile, quick wit, and unwavering love for her family. Her ashes will be interred at the Central Coast Veterans Cemetery at a future date. No services are planned at this time.